Kidz Bop is an American children's music group composed like a music brand that produces

family-friendly A family-friendly product or service is one that is considered to be suitable for all members of an average family. Family-friendly restaurants are ones that provide service to families that have young children. Frequently, family-friendly produc ...

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of

pop songs Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...

and related media. Kidz Bop releases

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s that feature children covering clean versions of contemporary pop songs that chart high on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and/or receive heavy airplay from

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

stations several months ahead of each album's release. Kidz Bop releases censored and substitute profane lyrics, however, critics have commented that this doesn't necessarily remove the adult themes from the music. The concept was developed by

Razor & Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles an ...

co-founders Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam and released its first entry on October 9, 2001. Since its debut, Kidz Bop has sold over 21 million albums and has generated over 4.5 billion streams. Kidz Bop has expanded to include merchandise, music videos, a live touring division, and seeking talent search competitions.

Chart performance

The Kidz Bop Kids have been named ''Billboard's'' No. 1 Kids' Album Artist for ten consecutive years, including 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. In December 2020,

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

announced that The KIDZ BOP Kids are the top streamed artist in the US on the Spotify Kids app. The KIDZ BOP Kids were included in Billboard's Top 100 Artist of the Decade for the 2010s (#75). Kidz Bop 26, released on July 15, 2014, marked the franchise's 40th charting album on the ''Billboard'' 200. Since the brand's debut in 2001, more than 20 million Kidz Bop albums have been sold worldwide. In November 2015, ''Billboard'' Magazine announced that the Kidz Bop Kids rank #4 on their list of artists with the Most Billboard 200 Top 10 Albums of all time. The Kidz Bop Kids rank higher than iconic artists such as

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

and

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

, with 22 top 10 albums on the ''Billboard'' 200 Chart. In 2015, Kidz Bop 29 debuted at No. 3 on the Top 200 chart. In the same year, the franchise moved 1.15 million units, or 23% of the entire kids music album category. Kidz Bop has released the best-selling children's albums for several years; ''Kidz Bop 25'' in 2014, ''Kidz Bop 27'' in 2015, and ''Kidz Bop 31'' in 2016.

Tours

Kidz Bop World Tour

The Kidz Bop World Tour was a nationwide rock concert for kids featuring a child and one adult performer/mc backed by a full rock band which kicked off in the fall of 2007 in Minneapolis at

Target Center Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, ...

. It was funded, at least in part, by

Karen Zerby Karen Elva Zerby (born July 31, 1946) is the leader of The Family International, originally known as the Children of God. She is also called Maria, Mama Maria, Maria David, Maria Fontaine, and Queen Maria. Biography Zerby was raised in evangelic ...

. The ensembles were chosen from a nationwide talent search and featured

Mary Sarah Mary Sarah Gross (born July 7, 1995), known professionally as Mary Sarah, is a country music singer and songwriter. She started what would become her career with performances local to her region, before being picked up by Kidz Bop in 2007. Aft ...

, Markelle Gay, Kristian Real, Davide Schiavone, Elizabeth Bashian, and Brianna Komadina. The tour traveled the upper Midwest and east coast comprising some 29 shows during a 6-month run.

2014 "Dream Big, Sing Loud" Tour

The Kidz Bop Kids' nationwide tour promoted Kidz Bop 26 in over 40 cities in 2014. Major markets included New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and more. The final stop of their 2014 tour was at

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

, where the Kidz Bop Kids performed live to open for the

Radio City Christmas Spectacular The ''Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes'' is an annual musical holiday stage show presented at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The 90-minute show features more than 140 performers and an original musical score, an ...

2015 "Make Some Noise" Tour

The national live tour hit over 50 cities in 2015, including New York, Boston, Dallas, Washington, Nashville, Baltimore, Seattle and Los Angeles. The tour was sponsored by

Build-A-Bear Workshop Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is an American retailer headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri that sells teddy bears and other stuffed animals and characters. Customers go through an interactive process in which the stuffed animal of their choice ...

's Honey Girls. Audience members at the Kidz Bop tour saw a special preview of the Honey Girls' debut music video at each show. In August 2015, Kidz Bop announced that it was extending the "Make Some Noise" tour to include nine holiday performances. The holiday shows were added following the success of the "Make Some Noise" tour's spring and summer dates.

2016 "Life of the Party" Tour

In February 2016, Kidz Bop announced it was celebrating its 15th birthday with the "Life of the Party" tour. In March 2016, Kidz Bop announced a partnership with

Live Nation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...

to add summer amphitheater dates to the "Life of the Party" Tour. In Connecticut, the Kidz Bop Kids kicked off the summer shows on July 16 at the Toyota

Oakdale Theater The Oakdale Theatre (originally known as the Oakdale Musical Theatre) is a multi-purpose performance venue, located in Wallingford, Connecticut. Opened in 1954, the venue consists of an auditorium and domed theatre, known as The Dome at Oakdale. ...

. Additional cities included Brooklyn, Charlotte, and Chicago.

2017 "Best Time Ever" Tour

In February 2017, Kidz Bop and Live Nation announced the launch of the "Best Time Ever" tour. The 2017 live tour visited more than 50 cities across the U.S. and include stops at

BOK Center The BOK Center, or Bank of Oklahoma Center, is a 19,199-seat multi-purpose arena and a primary indoor sports and event venue in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. Designed to accommodate arena football, hockey, basketball, concerts, and similar even ...

LegoLand,

Greek Theatre (Los Angeles) Greek Theatre is an amphitheatre located in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California. It is owned by the city of Los Angeles and is operated by ASM Global. Designed by architects Samuel Tilden Norton, Frederick Hastings Wallisand, and the Tacoma ...

Boardwalk Hall Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, formerly known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is a multi-purpose arena in Atlantic City in Atlantic County, New Jersey. It was Atlantic City's primary convention center until the opening of the Atlanti ...

Honda Center The Honda Center (formerly known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) is an indoor arena located in Anaheim, California. The arena is home to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. Originally named the Anaheim Arena during construction, ...

Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island The Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island is an outdoor live entertainment venue within the Childs Restaurants building on the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. The venue opened in June 2016. History Plans for the For ...

and many more. The tour was sponsored by

Juicy Juice Juicy Juice is a brand of juices that targets children and sold in the United States using the slogan "100% Juice." History Juicy Juice was introduced by Libby's (then a subsidiary of Nestlé) in 1977. Prior to March 2006, it was known as Libby ...

Splashers, and kicked off in April 2017.

2018 Kidz Bop Live Tour

Following the success of 2017's "Best Time Ever" tour, Kidz Bop and Live Nation announced the all-new North American Tour launch, "Kidz Bop Live 2018". The tour announcement coincided with the release of ''Kidz Bop 37''. The summer leg kicked off in Toronto on June 1, 2018, and hit more than 50 cities, including Chicago, New York ( Jones Beach), Los Angeles (

Greek Theatre Ancient Greek theatre was a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, was its centre, where the theatre was ...

) and Boston (

Leader Bank Pavilion The Leader Bank Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheater located in Boston, Massachusetts, used for concerts. It seats 5,000. Its season runs from May until October. The venue originally opened in August 1994 near Fan Pier. Due to land rights, it ...

). Four Kidz Bop Kids perform live at each concert, which were produced by SRae Productions. The creative team behind "Kidz Bop Live 2018" has previously produced tours for

Imagine Dragons Imagine Dragons is an American pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, consisting of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman. The band first gained exposure with the release of their sing ...

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...

Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cousi ...

and

Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, currently consisting of vocalists Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements ...

2019 Kidz Bop World Tour

In December 2018, Kidz Bop and Live Nation announced the launch of Kidz Bop World Tour 2019. The 2019 tour visited more than 50 cities across the United States, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. The tour was sponsored by Subway Fresh Fit For Kids, and kicked off April 20 at the

Eventim Apollo The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ham ...

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

, London.

2022 Kidz Bop Live Tour

In January 2020, Kidz Bop announced they would be doing a national tour. The tour was rescheduled to 2022 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. It ran from July 19 to September 14, 2022.

Notable Kidz Bop alumni

Ross Lynch Ross Shor Lynch (born December 29, 1995) is an American actor, singer, and musician. He was the lead vocalist of the pop rock band R5 and is one half of the band the Driver Era (with his brother Rocky Lynch). As an actor, he rose to recognit ...

Noah Munck Noah Bryant Munck (born May 3, 1996) is an American actor, comedian, YouTube personality and music producer known for his roles as Gibby in the Nickelodeon series ''iCarly'' and "Naked Rob" Smith in the ABC comedy series '' The Goldbergs''. He al ...

Olivia Holt Olivia Hastings Holt (born August 5, 1997) is an American actress and singer. She starred in the Disney XD series ''Kickin' It'', Disney Channel Original Movie '' Girl vs. Monster'', and the Disney Channel Original Series '' I Didn't Do It''. Fr ...

Zendaya Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman ( ; born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She has received various accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the ...

– her song " Replay" later appeared as a

LeapFrog Leapfrog is a children's game in which players vault over each other's stooped backs. History Games of this sort have been called by this name since at least the late sixteenth century.Elijah Johnson *

Fin Argus Steffan Fin Argus (born September 1, 1998) is an American actor, musician, and model. Early life and education Argus is from Des Plaines, Illinois. They have an older sister, Sadie, and a younger sister, Lacey. They were a self-described "theatre ...

Spencer Locke Spencer Locke (born September 20, 1991) is an American actress known for her roles as Kylie in ''Cougar Town,'' Jenny Bennett in '' Monster House,'' Ione in '' Detention'', and K-Mart in the ''Resident Evil'' film series. Life and career Prior ...

– ''Kidz Bop: Everyone's a Star'' (DVD) *

Becky G Rebbeca Marie Gomez (born March 2, 1997), known professionally as Becky G, is an American singer and actress. She first gained recognition in 2011 when she began posting videos of herself covering popular songs online. One of her videos caught t ...

– her song "

Shower A shower is a place in which a person bathes under a spray of typically warm or hot water. Indoors, there is a drain in the floor. Most showers have temperature, spray pressure and adjustable showerhead nozzle. The simplest showers have a ...

" later appeared on ''Kidz Bop 27'' *

Kiana Brown Kiana and Qiana may refer to: Places *Kiana, Alaska *Kiana, South Australia People * Kiana (singer) (born 2007), Australian-Swedish singer * Kiana of Nishapur, Kiana Sādāt-Hosseini (2009–2016), Iranian murder victim * Kiana Aran, American ...

International expansion

United Kingdom

In February 2017, Kidz Bop announced it was launching outside America for the first time and expanding to the UK. There will be a new lineup of British Kidz Bop Kids. Kidz Bop partnered with

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

, Crown Talent and Media Group, and

Creative Artists Agency Creative Artists Agency LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. It is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous clients. In March 2016, CAA had 1,800 emplo ...

for the UK launch, with ITV featuring the group in an episode of its star search programme ''The Big Audition''. The first two albums, ''Kidz Bop'' and ''Kidz Bop 2018'', were released in the UK on March 31 and November 10 of 2017 respectively. The third and fourth albums, ''Kidz Bop Summer '18'' and ''Kidz Bop 2019'', were released in the UK on 23 March and 7 December 2018 respectively. The fifth album, ''Kidz Bop 2020'', was released in the UK on 15 November 2019. The sixth and seventh albums, ''Kidz Bop Party Playlist'' and ''Kidz Bop 2021'', were released in the UK in June and October 2020 respectively. The eighth album, ''Kidz Bop All-Time Greatest Hits'' was released in the UK on 26 March 2021. The ninth album, ''Kidz Bop 2022'', was released in the UK on 22 October 2021.

Germany

''Kidz Bop Germany'' and ''Kidz Bop Germany 2'' were released in Germany on March 29 and September 6 of 2019 respectively. The third and fourth albums, ''Kidz Bop Party Playlist!'' and ''Kidz Bop 2021'', were released on April 3 and October 23 of 2020 respectively. The fifth album, ''Kidz Bop All-Time Greatest Hits'' was released on March 26, 2021. The sixth album, ''Kidz Bop 2022'', was released on October 22, 2021.

France

Kidz Bop 2022 was released in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

on October 22, 2021, and was performed by the first lineup of French Kidz Bop kids.

Mexico

Kidz Bop 2022 was released in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

on October 22, 2021, and was performed by the first lineup of Spanish speaking Kidz Bop kids.

Criticism and controversy

Three months preceding the release of ''Kidz Bop 10'' in 2006, the online tracklist was revealed to feature a cover of

Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...

's " Dance, Dance". After finding out that Kidz Bop can use a song without the original artist's permission but needs their approval to change the lyrics, bassist

Pete Wentz Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III (born June 5, 1979) is an American musician best known as the bassist and lyricist for the rock band Fall Out Boy since 2001. Before Fall Out Boy, Wentz was a fixture of the Chicago hardcore scene and was the lea ...

responded by requesting the removal of the cover due to the song's sexual overtones, to which Razor & Tie obliged and re-released the tracklist, eliminating "Dance, Dance". A 2017 study on censorship in Kidz Bop found that replacing words and phrases in songs does not disassociate the original in the minds of young listeners who have heard the uncensored song, and that "repackaging adult music as kids' music" does not remove the adult themes even when words or phrases are substituted. Christopher Bell, an associate professor of media studies at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

has called Kidz Bop "an abomination" because it censors language but not content, altering specific words without changing or obscuring the underlying tone or meaning. He explained: "I don't need a sanitized version of "

Despacito "Despacito" (; "Slowly") is a song by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi featuring Puerto Rican rapper and singer Daddy Yankee as the lead single from Fonsi's 2019 studio album ''Vida''. Released on January 12, 2017, the song was written by Fonsi, ...

" — I need 8-year-olds not to be singing "Despacito" because that

ong Ong or ONG may refer to: Arts and media * Ong's Hat, a collaborative work of fiction * “Ong Ong”, a song by Blur from the album The Magic Whip Places * Ong, Nebraska, US, city * Ong's Hat, New Jersey, US, ghost town * Ong River, Odisha, India ...

is super dirty. And Kidz Bop doesn't always make that distinction."

Albums

Related projects

Kidz Bop experience at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana

In 2018, Kidz Bop announced the fully branded "Kidz Bop Experience" at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana. They opened a Kidz Bop experience at Hard Rock Riviera Maya in August 2019.

Legoland music partnership

In 2016

Legoland Florida Legoland Florida Resort (stylized as LEGOLAND Florida Resort) is a vacation destination in Winter Haven, Florida. The resort features the Legoland Florida theme park itself, the Legoland Water Park, three on-site accommodations and a separatel ...

appointed Kidz Bop as its official music partner, coinciding with the launch of Lego Ninjago World, on January 12, 2017. To celebrate the park's expansion, the Kidz Bop Kids recorded an original version of the park's (and the TV show's) theme song.

Crazy 8 fashion brand

Kidz Bop partnered with kids' clothing brand,

Crazy 8 Crazy Eights is a shedding-type card game for two to seven players and the best known American member of the Eights Group which also includes Pig and Spoons. The object of the game is to be the first player to discard all of their cards. The ga ...

to launch the Kidz Bop clothing line. The line was designed by Crazy 8. The collection is made for babies, children and early adolescents. The line officially went on sale on November 7, 2016, in Crazy 8 stores and online. The Kidz Bop performers wore the collection on stage during their 2016 Life Of The Party tour.

Kidz Star USA talent search

In 2010, Kidz Bop launched Kidz Star USA, a national talent search for kids aged 15 and under. In 2011,

from

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

, became the second winner and received a recording contract from

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

American Idol (Season 8) The eighth season of ''American Idol'' premiered on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The se ...

winner,

Kris Allen Kristopher Neil Allen (born June 21, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of ''American Idol''. Prior to ''Idol'', he self-released a 2007 album, ''Brand New Shoes''. Allen's ...

, was a celebrity judge and mentor for the competition. Dallas Wayde was the 2012 Winner with

Gavin Degraw Gavin Shane DeGraw (born February 4, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. DeGraw rose to fame with his song "I Don't Want to Be" from his debut album '' Chariot'' (2003); the song became the main theme song for The WB drama series ''One Tree ...

as his celebrity mentor. Isabel Lacatus was the 2013 winner with

Jennette McCurdy Jennette Michelle Faye McCurdy (born June 26, 1992) is an American writer, director, podcaster, singer and former actress. McCurdy's breakthrough role as Sam Puckett in the Nickelodeon sitcom '' iCarly'' (2007–2012) earned her various awards ...

as her celebrity mentor.

SiriusXM Radio

In January 2012, Kidz Bop launched its first radio show on

SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius S ...

Radio. Kidz Bop Block Party airs every Friday at 6pm est on Kids Place Live (Channel 69). In January 2014, Kidz Bop and SiriusXM Launched Kidz Bop Radio, a 24/7 channel dedicated to playing Kidz Bop music (Channel 77).

Video games

*''Kidz Bop Dance Party: The Video Game'' – September 2010 (

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...

and

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...

)

References

External links

{{Authority control
Official website
2001 establishments in the United States Compilation album series Cover bands Child musical groups